Writing for the Sunday Herald, Vicky explored the ways in which this groundbreaking new bill could make a very real difference to women’s lives. With almost 60,000 domestic abuse incidents reported to Police Scotland in 2014-15, it is important to recognise that abuse presents as a pattern of behaviour, rather than one incident of violence. The piece stood out due to Vicky’s inclusion of interviews with domestic abuse survivors, all of whom spoke about the impact that psychological and emotional abuse had had on them.

Comments from the judges: “This article is a terrific piece of reporting, presenting shocking and horrific details from several cases of domestic and sexual violence in a dramatic but respectful telling. Liberal use of direct quotes from agency staff and the women themselves gave the stories such credibility and power, and the surrounding context laid bare the context of gendered oppression that is so often missing from features like this. A tour de force of a story.”

“As the title suggests, difficult to read, but vital. This was the most powerful piece for its successful engagement with both the factual and the anecdotal, in a way that grabbed attention and maintained it. With a relentless opening paragraph to set the grim scene, Vicky knows how to exemplify a troubling tone within a victim’s experience and bring it round to the relevance that was the Domestic Abuse Bill, new at the time of writing. An essential read for all – an important window into a victim’s life that is understandably so difficult to share, done so with tact and empathy.”